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Teaching Tolerance

A group of Islamic schools is commendably promoting British values

July 14 2015, 1:01am, The Times

Islamic schools too often inspire mistrust in those who fear that they foment segregation and isolation. Occasionally, those fears have proved well-founded. The Trojan horse scandal was an attempt by radicals in 2013 to impose an Islamist agenda on 21 state schools in Birmingham. Elsewhere, a teaching assistant at a primary school was filmed saying that music should be banned, clapping was satanic and that homosexuals should be stoned to death. It is therefore encouraging that, as we report today, some Islamic schools are intertwining the teaching of British values alongside religious faith. Contrary to what some might believe, the two are not incompatible. Our future depends on them not becoming so.

Olive, the Blackburn primary school whose teaching assistant was filmed last year, is…